LIVE TWEET: My Last Day At Work

Today is my last day at work.

I have a million emails to pare down in that crowded inbox. I have a desk to clean out. Perhaps say a few goodbyes.

And oh yeah, I have some work to do. Follow along below:

Tweeting

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Two Announcements

I have two things for you today:

1) Some of you know I'm changing jobs next week. So please use jpwise3@hotmail.com for email until further notice.

B) You can buy some winter/holiday greeting cards on johnpwise.com today. Everybody wins.

Career News

I recently accepted a new job and have turned my notice into FOX.

I will be a platform manager for the New York NBC affiliate's newly re-launched Web site, nbcnewyork.com. WNBC is the nation's oldest and among the most well-known stations in the country.

I'll basically be managing the site, but could be asked to jump in in other areas, which explains the broader title.

My last day on the FOX national desk is Nov. 28 and my first day at WNBC will be Dec. 3. Please take a look at the new site if you have a minute. Feedback is always welcome.

All Growns Up

I figure if I've been in New York for almost 30 months, it makes sense to act like I actually live here.

So after jumping through many hoops, I now have a New York driver's license, and I finally just got my voter registration card last week.

Also, on the techno-modern front, I now have my first iPod and am wireless in my apartment, so I can use my laptop in even the most far-reaching corners of my luxury home. For those who haven't yet experienced the good fortune of a visit to my place, this means that I can read/send emails from either end of the sofa.

Next up: a passport (Africa is scheduled for 2009 now), and perhaps a large, flat-panel HDTV to hang on the wall. As much as I complain about my finances, especially now that I'm a city-dweller shelling out $2,100 in rent, I've quietly been saving for such a big-ticket item. And American Express, whose rewards earned me that iPod for points, not dollars, has a holiday wish list each year and huge reductions are available on select big-ticket purchases.

Anyone need a Harley?

Kim And Me

I'm not a celeb-stalker; but I played one in Los Angeles on Sunday.

I won't say I'm above stargazing, but I don't seek it out. Big sis Missy came down from San Francisco to hang for the day yesterday, and after some beach time in Malibu, we made a trade. She wanted to do some celeb-watching in exchange for driving me downtown so I could shoot the Walt Disney Concert Hall.

We hadn't even parked the car near the trendy restaurant The Ivy and already, we were onto something.

We'd just turned the corner and saw a handful of photographers gathered outside some store. So we parked the car and I grabbed my cameras.

By the time we emerged from the parking garage, the gathering had migrated toward a MAC cosmetics joint, and that's where we thought we saw the lovely and talentless Kim Kardashian. A few minutes later, sure enough, out she came.

I did get caught up in it, and wouldn't you know it, while backpedaling (and shooting) in flip flops, I eventually backed into a baby stroller. After the mom gave me a look I WILL NEVER FORGET, I offered a sincere apology, then turned around to face Ms. Kardashian, who looked me straight in the eye and asked firmly, "Are you serious?"

I hightailed it out of there with big sis and can't remember ever feeling so embarrassed.

And in case you've been reading about my LA trip overall, let's recap: couldn't get a rental car, got violated on several cab fares, Ohio State got drilled, Kim Kardashian lit me up and then, of course, my 10:30 p.m. flight last night didn't leave until closer to midnight.

Green and Clean

I like hotels that do their part to protect the environment. Here at The Custom, there's a note in the bathroom asking me to hang my towel on a specific hook to indicate I don't need new towels. I did so, after I took a 20-minute shower.

Review: My LA Trip

I arrived at LAX Thursday night and immediately the visit got off to a bad start.

Here's a little background:

Two weeks ago in Denver I realized that my Kentucky driver's license was going to expire on Aug. 30. I wasn't able to get to the License Bureau to get a New York license until just a few days ago. And when I got there I was told I'd need either a birth certificate or a passport.

I don't typically keep a birth certificate handy, and my passport expired in April. So I ordered a birth certificate and I should have it next week.

But try renting a car in Los Angeles with an expired Kentucky license. It doesn't happen.

So after taking shuttles and cabs, then meeting some folks as planned at Santa Monica's very cool World Cafe, I got home close to 1 a.m. local time, which means I was awake for pretty much 24 straight hours.

Anyway, cabbing it all over town is OK to do in New York, but here in LA, the meter advances almost as rapidly as that national debt ticker I've seen a time or two.

OK, since I couldn't get around conveniently, I figured the highlight of my day would be when I checked out of my hotel and into another one Friday afternoon.

Along the way, however, I stumbled across the Big Blue Bus, which is an excellent public transit on LA's west side. Instead of another $40 cab ride, I got in there for a buck and it didn't take much longer than the cab would have.

I got to Main Street and the sun finally came out. As I made my way to my friend Alison's women's clothing store, Monki, I passed O'Brien's Pub, the front patio of which was packed with Ohio State people. So I stopped and said hello for a few minutes, then got a call from colleague Todd who said he'd pick me up from there shortly and we'd go meet colleague Susan for a happy-hour drink at Hal's just a few blocks away in Venice.

I came back to my hotel, which is very cool, by the way. It's called The Custom, and is quite hip and modern. Each room has a different theme; mine is dogs. Yup, there's a Best-In-Show type ribbon pinned to the lampshade, a comforter with a dog motif and the latest copy of "Bark" magazine on my bedside table.

If you're traveling alone, this place is more than adequate; room and bathroom are a bit smallish, so not really family friendly. It's considered a boutique hotel, but I got a good price, so I don't feel like I'm trying to be fabulous.

After I came back from happy hour, I went to the hotel bar, where there's a pretty cool pool, but it was all out-of-towners. You could tell because there wasn't that I-need-to-be-glam vibe you can spot at some LA joints.

I met a couple people and we decided to try the bar across the street. The bartender went to high school two blocks away from where I live now in New York. And there were plenty of Ohioans on the set who are here for the OSU-USC game, so we had lots to talk about.

OK, now I'm up, watching ESPN's College GameDay, not feeling great about OSU's chances, but looking forward to catching up with old friends John and Amy and seeing the game.

I think it's time for the Big Blue Bus.

The Night I Got Arrested

Many of you might have spent Thursday night watching John McCain formally accept his nomination for GOP presidential candidate at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn.

As it was happening, I was sitting on a bridge, waiting to be handcuffed, arrested, transported and fingerprinted, then booked on a charge of unlawful assembly.

>> Read More (Video included)

Arrest Update

I don't think I seek out attention too terribly, but I have no problem admitting that I enjoy it when it comes my way.

What's happened in the last 12 hours, however, is nothing that I would ever hope for.

Many of you know now that I was arrested Thursday night while shooting a protest in St. Paul, site of this week's Republican National Convention. I know that because as I sat at the airport restaurant -- how does a slow-roasted pork sandwich get served in two minutes? -- and checked email over lunch a short time ago, I had to fight back tears because so many of you took a minute out of your day to wish me well and express your hope that I was OK. Thank you so much.

So when I'm not catching up on sleep, watching Ohio State and loaning my apartment to a friend for her end-of-summer party, I hope to get you all caught up this weekend with what really happened. There might be some things I cannot yet write about, and/or pictures/videos I might not be able to post. But I promise you'll see some new stuff in the next couple days, including my mug shot in which I'm smiling.

And thanks also to those who've almost served as a personal clipping service. Immediately below is the story that's on the MyFox network, but below that are some other referrals that friends have sent in today.

+ MyFox

+ CarlosMiller.com

+ DNCRNC

+ Freemarketnews.com

+ Pegasus News

+ Political Crier

+ StopBigMedia.com

+ TVSpy.com

+ What Would Lincoln Do?

RNC Update

Hello from St. Paul. So far the highlight has been being in the thick of Monday's protests that led to violence, shattered storefront windows, pepper spray and arrests.

I have a bunch of still shots and some video of that day and much more. I also added three updates to my blog today, including another Karl Rove entry. Here you go:

+ RNC section

+ My Convention blog

DNC Review

Here's a slideshow recap of my week in Denver:

Click here to see my photos.

And of course, my politics blog has some final reflections.

I got back to New York late Friday afternoon, but my bag didn't make it. It was just delivered as I was updating this blog here Saturday morning, so time to do some laundry and pack the bag back up. I'm off to the RNC in St. Paul tomorrow morning.

My Karl Rove (Non-)Story

A man with thin, gray hair and glasses was making a joke to no one in particular about the men's room two-way mirror as I was walking in, and I replied with something fairly sarcastic.

Then, when I got in front of the sink, I asked myself, "Did I just make Karl Rove laugh?"

>> Read More

Convention Coverage

Here's a recap of what's going on with me in Denver:

+ The MyFox Convention section. This is where all of our network's coverage is, including videos and images I'm shooting. The video is located in the VIDEO RODEO | RAW AND READY section (mine are the 30-second protests), and the CONVENTION PHOTO GALLERY is two sections below it.

+ Our CoverItLive blog. Anyone can live blog, but that technology hasn't picked up the way I thought it would a year or two ago. But CoverItLive takes it to a new level. Not only can you take real-time questions from users (you), but moderators like me can add in images, video and polls that show real-time results. This is very cool and CoverItLive is going to be huge a year from now.

+ My Politics blog. I'll never be a politics expert, but this is kind of a diary that I'll try to update as often as I can these next two weeks.

+ Please follow me on Twitter for Convention updates this week and next.

+ I started a Celebrity Watch blog, also on MyFox, just for these conventions. I can't remember my login, so it hasn't been updated since my introductory note a few days ago, but check back there for updates. I got a picture of Daryl Hannah today. Yay.

Catching Up...New Blog

Hello. Sorry for the lengthy absence, but as you know, all PAE staffers at each of our nine worldwide offices get two weeks off in the beginning of summer.

Also, I've been working on a fairly daunting politics project at work. I started writing a new politics blog, and I'd really like you to read today's entry.

Your feedback would be appreciated.

Here's Me Being Cool

I enjoy ruining mysteries for others.

I also have a good friend named Ben in Louisville. We're buds enough to hope to see each other when I get back there a couple times a year, and we'll float each other the occasional email, but not the kind of dudes to be in touch with great frequency.

Ben is a serious soccer fan. I'm OK with the sport, but watching yesterday's exciting UEFA Championship between Chelsea and Manchester United wasn't a top priority for me. It began at 3 p.m. and ended thrillilngly with penalty kicks. Figuring Ben was working his normal schedule and unable to watch it live, I assumed he was going to watch it on TiVo later in the evening.

So here was a friendly text message to him yesterday shortly after the game ended: "In case you were TiVoing, Man. U. won today."

Oh, and if you haven't seen "Iron Man" just yet, everyone dies at the end.

Googling Me

A lady friend recently told me she was surprised there was very little to find about me when she Googled me.

But because I'm the most arrogant a-hole I know, I'm fully aware of how to get lots of Google results when searching my name. She searched "John Wise," but we all know "John P. Wise" is the way to go in 2008, right?

So if you Google merely first and last name, and skip the middle initial, you get these clowns:

+ This guy is one of the first John Wises I remember seeing out there online. He has a Photo Of The Day blog, which occasionally has some really good shots.

+ I remember seeing this guy in early searches as well. It seems all the John Wises I find have east coast roots, and this one was a Massachusetts clergyman from 1680-1725.

+ This guy is who you get in touch with when you have questions about the Balloon Society of Central Pennsylvania. And at some point, I know you will.

+ Homeboy says, "To the right, you'll find what's new in this place." But when you look to the right, the last update is July 31, 2005. I never liked this guy.

+ When I was changing majors the first time in college, the choices were either General Studies or Toxicology and Molecular Epidemiology. That's what this dude is into. To each his own, right?

+ Another smart guy runs the Wise Laboratory of Environmental and Genetic Toxicology.

+ John Wise is the Mayor of Enumclaw, Wash.

+ I agree with medical cartoonist John Wise that laughter is the best medicine.

+ Financial representative John Wise will call you once a week during dinner to try to offer his products and services, even if you ask to be taken off his call list.

+ Another smartie-pants. Maybe I should have gotten into medicine. Nah, there are way more ladies to be had in online news.

Me, Me, And More Me

Attention Cincinnati: I'll be one of the featured artists at the First Friday gallery hop in Covington, Ky., on June 1. More details will follow here and in emails in the next few days, but I'll be at the Madison Wedding Mall in downtown Covington from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

And in an effort to drum up a little publicity for the event, I'll be a guest on the Channel 9 news at about 12:15 p.m. on Friday, June 1. Still efforting a radio interview or two, so stay tuned for those details as well.

Hope to see you on June 1.